Guide
The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC) is a foreign branch campus of the University of Nottingham in UK. This wiki serves as a point for reference for any information concerning to life as a student at UNMC. Since this is a wiki, it is most welcomed if you could contribute by sharing anything meaningful that you may have learnt that could be of good use to the UNMC community. Introduction to Student Guide Basically this is a student guide to share with you what I should have known at the beginning but didn't learn until later. Most of what is said here doesn't seriously apply to everyone, and it's not meant to. Nevertheless, it is a general take on doing things, which may or may not necessarily work. Pre-departure Prepare in advance for university life! There a number of specific things you might one to prepare yourself to, before you leap in to this life as a university student. You will have certain expectations, pre-conceptions, misconceptions, random thoughts about university, anxieties about what life is going is going to be like for next 3 to 4 years. You might be thinking about losing your virginity, whatever that is, meeting your soul mate, tasting your first sip of alcohol, smoking shisha, smoking pot, going clubbing, and publicly exposing yourself. Or perhaps you might want to get all distinctions, join all events, chair all meetings, participate in all competitions, represent the student body, or find inner peace. But before you consider doing all that, it is essential that you learn and practise certain basic skills such as cooking, washing, changing the bedding and cleaning. You’ll be surprised how many people can’t do these things. You aren’t alone if you’ve never boiled an egg! Learning the basics from friends and family, books or even the internet, will go a long way to help you when you arrive. YouTube and Google is your friend, use it. What to pack You don't really need to pack much, the list of things you get here will eventually grow, you will find that the longer you stay, your list of clothes will grow with you. For starters prepare: * 3-7 sets of day clothes * 1 set of cultural clothing (optional) * 1 set of formal clothing (events presentation) * towel (optional) * bedding (optional) * some toiletries For anything else you may easily be able to purchase them from Tesco Semenyih, but be warned that sometimes particular items may sell out, but its nothing to worry about. You can survive. Meeting like minded freshers Be on the look out for specialized groups on Facebook or elsewhere targeting freshers such as yourself. Join these groups and meet like minded peeps that may be able to share your ups and downs. Places to get help * Lowyat Nottingham Malaysia Campus Thread * Any relevant Facebook freshers group Accommodation Main Article: TTS Student Housing Guide Official university website is here. Where you may find all sorts of helpful advice Your best bet for anything, even if you are feeling lazy, is to email the accommodation office at accommodation@nottingham.edu.my. They may be slow to reply to all inquiries but they are compelled to do so, and as stated officially they will provide certain amount of help when it comes to getting on or off-campus accommodation. Now, the choice is yours whether you will pick on-campus or off-campus. Both have its pros and cons. In terms of safety, Taman Tasik Semenyih is one of the most safest places you could stay, there has been only like 2 student deaths, and it only happens to internationals that engage in clubbing, drinking and a variety of other vices, in like the last 5 years. The only problem is security of your belongings, which depending on the type of property you decided to rent, may lead to break-ins. Usually, students report of laptops and other personal belongings being stolen, but so far there are no known cases of physical attacks. As to cases of passports, getting stolen, you don't have to worry about that, if you are an international, chances are the UNMC visa office does a great job of looking after your passports. Another fun fact, is that break-ins can happen at any time of day, be it day or night. And it doesn't take long for someone to get through a cheap lock, and through your bedroom door. Sometimes leaving your window open too is another potent vector of attack. But this doesn't mean that you won't get burgled if you stay on-campus, cause if you leave your stuff in the open or your room door ajar with your stuff within, expect very much to get your kit stolen, and don't be surprised if the perpetrator is a fellow student. House Selection Criteria * Select houses which are well secured. * Know your housemates * Be wary of staying in bungalow type houses, and houses that are located to the edges, near forests. * The closer to the TTS pedestrian bridge * Bus stop * Terrace Houses which are located in poorer neighbourhoods tend to be safer then isolated bungalows. * Washing Machine * Kitchen * Fridge or Mini-Bar * Water Heater * AC Rent So, how much is the right price, well if this university were not here, rent in Semenyih would have been dirt cheap. Depending on how you play it, the how much you pay for rent can vary a lot, like if you are willing to share your bedroom with like 4-5 other guys then you could scrape by with nothing more than RM 50 per month, or may be RM 100 for a single room and if you like to flaunt your wealth, then you will try something more within the RM 850 per month or higher range. Current average prices are somewhere around RM 500. Which in my opinion is way too high, but will give you a decent bed somewhere close to the pedestrian bridge in TTS 5. Yeah, and rent prices doesn't include utilities. Another fun fact, is that when you decide into stay in those bungalow student hostels electricity tariff is generally going to be higher than average, due to a single main meter being used for the whole house. Claiming Deposit Towards the end of your tenancy, you will find that you have to claim back your deposit which is typically something like 2+1 months with the extra month to cover damages. Most students avoid the hassle of this by not paying the final two months of their stay. On-Campus Rooms There is a slight difference between New and old on-campus accommodation. For one thing, the old accommodation is located closer to the student association building as well as to the sports and gym facilities. It also features a full kitchen complete with induction cookers. Furthermore, it also has both manned (open weekdays and Saturday. Pick-up and delivery available for TTS residents or New accommodation residents) and self-service laundry (coin-operated, 24 hours, washer and dryer as separate machines). *However, do note that throughout 2014-15, and possibly until 2016, the university had been renovating the old accommodation. It started around August 2014 with the Tioman Hall (Block I1) and finished around April 2015. As of May 2015, renovation works have started for Redang Hall (Block I3) and may continue for other halls soon. By rough observation from the outside, the refurbishments look great such as addition of learning areas within halls, replacing furnitures, fixing windows/doors, repainting, and student card access on the automatic entrances (to deter strangers and stray animals). There is now only one main entrance per hall, by the automatic sliding doors and many more emergency entrances around (normal metal doors), but locked and can only be used in emergency whereby keys contained in perspex glass containers nearby can be obtained by breaking the glass. The new accommodation (J Blocks) while having slightly spacious rooms, have only a small pantry with limited cooking facilities (no induction cookers as of January 2015, some people suggested this). It is also a quite far (~500 meters) uphill walk to go to classrooms, library, student association building, cafeteria, etc. To alleviate this, there are two study/recreational areas called Nexus and Radius for J blocks in case you don't feel like walking to the other blocks. There was an installation of washing machines and dryers in May 2015 in Radius and Nexus (learning or recreational areas/buildings for J blocks) so students living there can now do their laundry without having to walk too far. Do note that all accommodations do not have elevators and should you have health issues or anything, this can be addressed by allocating a ground floor room. The pros and cons of ground level rooms in J blocks is ease of accessibility and moving in/out but be prepared for normal harmless jungle critters or insects roaming around the hallways since the J blocks are literally situated next to a small jungle hill, separating it from TTS on the other side of the 'hill'. For I blocks (old accommodation), there is not much difference in both ground and elevated rooms. Except minor differences such as view and proximity to facilities depending on your preference. However, do note that ground rooms for both accommodation are more susceptible to break-ins but this is bolstered with instalment of metal grilles on windows but it is your responsibility to ensure they are remain locked. Updated campus map/layout is available from the university website, which includes the new accommodations blocks (J blocks). Just do a search for the keyword "Updated UNMC campus map" or similar. On-campus Accomodation Layouts Off-campus rooms See this official list. On top of this there are other house owner renting their houses out. Their contact numbers may be obtained from signs placed around TTS, while others you just have to know people. Do note that the numbers may change and hence, be outdated. Off campus housing at TTS is separated into a number of zones. There are a total of 7 zones. If proximity is your first choice, then you should look no further than TTS5. If security is your top priority, then you should look at Edu Square (in TTS 5, road TTS 5/2 to be exact). If you are into new, large 2-storey bungalows then TTS7 is your preference, also consider TTS4 which is a bit of older 1-storey bungalows. If budget is your main concern (and you don't have a car), then you should look at TTS2/3/6. If budget is your main concern (and you do have a car), then you should look at Bandar Sunway Semenyih (a bit far but cheap), Taman Pelangi Semenyih (more families living there and more homey with lots of shops and Tesco nearby but traffic along Jalan Semenyih at peak hours may be daunting) and any other place that fits your fancy. The good thing about off-campus rooms is that regardless of the asking price placed, you are actually able to haggle for a cheaper price (if the asking price is RM 650, reduce it to RM 400) and take upon this as good opportunity to grow your skills of negotiating and haggling. Recent, oversupply of student accommodation means, you are holding a really powerful bargaining chip. Most of the landlords of these student houses typically own many properties and rent out their property like a professional business, use this to your knowledge and be clever in your dealings. Moreover, by the simple supply and demand rule, if more students haggle hence they have nothing to do but ultimately lower the rents. As of May 2015, there are many competitions in terms of off-campus accommodation for TTS house owners. Students now have more choice (Tetris apartment, UniVillage apartment, Tiara East) and hence less monopoly by the landlords. One other thing you should know is that UNMC has a really good disclaimer meant to disassociate themselves from any liability coming from using these off-campus providers. Take this as a pinch of salt, your university will look after you if things get really messed up. Arrival First thing first, when you first arrive in Nottingham, chances are you going to be sorted into two categories, You will either be an international student or a home one. As an international student, you will be provided with guides and other useful brochures on living in Malaysia. Read them, cause they might be useful. For home students, the level of support you'd be receiving is considerably less, but take it upon yourself to know what is there to be known. After all, it is your own country, be a man (or woman) and grow up. Freshers Week A bunch of social events to get yourselves acquainted. The freshers week in Malaysia campus is not as massive as the one's you see or TV or in movies, there won't be really crazy stuff, and the happenings are considerably tame, by all standards. Nevertheless it provides an early opportunity to get to know people in a friendly and open context. Club and Societies Fair (CSF) An annual fair that typically happens in the 2nd to 3rd week of university (for the September intake, April and July intake Foundation students shall have to wait till September), where you will be presented an opportunity to register for clubs and societies that could enrich your university life. See list of club and societies for a complete listing of societies. General membership of university club and societies amount to an annual fee of not more than RM 15 per society. Some clubs may be cheaper than others. The perks of club membership is that you would be recieving mail from dedicated mailing lists such that you may be able to join their events. Even so, clubs openly advertise and do allow non-members to join their events and typically the price difference between member and non-member does not amount to more than the price of membership. There are no strict recommendations for the number of clubs you should join, but joining at least 1 or 2 will allow you to meet plenty of new people with similar interests, while signing up for 4 or more would likely mean that you won't be able to fully participate in every club's activities, as there will inevitably be time clashes between all those events/trainings/sessions and your studies. First-time University Network Registration Follow this link, input your student ID number which is stated on your student card. Should be about 6 digits. Something like 01XXXX. You will also need to input your registered passport number or Mykad identification card number as password. http://pelangi.nottingham.edu.my/regtest/ or http://www.nottingham.edu.my/username Medical Check up (Internationals) Every year, international students are mandated to go for compulsory medical check up for visa approval purposes. It is highly recommended that you do your medical check-up as soon as possible and get your visa application started. Medical check-up begins with you visiting the UNMC health centre, following this you will be then be required to visit an approved local clinic for a short x-ray of your chest. The entire process is quite straightforward and doesn't take long. Certain students whom have taken their x-ray within their home countries may request exemption from doing further x-rays. Opening a bank account It is much recommended that you open a bank account with a local bank account in Malaysia as soon as you arrive, for a variety or reasons. On-campus, there are only 2 automatic teller machines (ATM) available provided by two local banks. * Maybank (Malayan Banking) * Affin Bank For Malaysians, opening a bank account is a very simple process of paying a fee of RM 10 to 12. Signing a couple of documents and you will only need your MyKad and thumb print to complete the entire process. Usually, for a university student you will only need be the very basic account type, there may be certain charges for certain transactions but typically the usage of debit card is without commission to the bank. With a basic account, and current bank policy you can make a certain number of free withdrawals. The most important thing you should know is that, typically if you withdraw money from the bank's own ATM you won't be charged extra. Bank Branches In terms of which bank to chose of, well most students prefer Maybank as their bank of choice and this is perhaps due to the abundance of ATM machines you will be able to find all over Malaysia. However, there are certain drawbacks, like since its the most popular, the Maybank's ATM on campus is usually the first one to run out of cash. It is free to withdraw money from your own bank in Malaysia, up to a certain amount of times. This typically is dependent on bank, but most of the should give 2-4 free withdrawals a month. You may be charged a nominal service charge if you withdraw from a bank different from your own. For exact charges please refer to your bank website. In terms of service on campus, recently Affin Bank has opened a counter within campus itself to facilitate account opening. While those interested in opening a Maybank account will have to go out to Semenyih to get their banking done, and this in itself is a time consuming process. Either bank is good enough, but personally I would recommend Maybank. Student Card Following registration you will need to get your student card from the security office. You will first need to find the security office which is located in B floor of H building or the Yellow Old Student Association building. Where upon which, you will have your picture taken, and you are expected to return the following day to retrieve a finished student card. Recent changes to security protocol means that your student card doubles as your access card and you may need it to access secure areas within campus. The student card also functions as a proof of identity and is used to identify yourself when using campus facilities, such as the sports center or printing tools. In the unfortunate event where your student card is lost, check at the various accommodation and security offices to see if it has been found and returned. Otherwise, you may opt to make another student card at the cost of RM50. Academia This section details a possible guide to answering possible questions you may have during term time. Class Timetables Check your timetables here Do note that the UK and MY university website shows different Reading Lists Reading list for individual modules may be available by following this link. A question most of you would probably be asking is do you need to buy a certain book for your course, for 90% (slight over-generalization, but you get the idea) of the time you don't. All that you need to get first class in your course is in handouts and for any other additional material you can easily get it from the library. The library have sufficient copies of books and if a current book is unavailable, you can request it, and you may eventually get it. As it's part of the university library system, frequent requests of a certain book would lead to them buying more particular books. So it's a good cycle, use it. So, when do you buy a book? Well there may come a time where a certain book will be repeatedly use and would prove to be the foundation of a particular course, those this doesn't happen often, and you still can succeed in studies without getting it. But if your professor really requests it and begs you to buy it, then please do, and make sure he sees that you have complied for extra brownie points. However, of course, your main purpose of getting the book should be so that you are able to revise and absorb content at your own time and place. Also, to turn the tables back on them, you may additionally request for books to be bought. Though the procedure would require supervisor or a sponsor from any one of the teaching staff. Coursework Submission At some point in your university career you will go through the hassle of submitting your coursework, if you are from the UK campus. You will notice that things are done slightly different here, and you can't drop off coursework in the middle of the night as you would in the UK. Faculty of Engineering :For all schools under the faculty of engineering, the place for you to submit your coursework is the within level A of Red building ©. There is a particular office, which you must take by going to the corridor on your left as you enter the main entrance and its the first open room on your left. It has a counter and you are expected to wait while someone comes and scans the piece of barcode on your coursework. In the olden days, you would generally sign 2 parts of a form, as you submit it, it will be stamped and the form will be split with you receiving the bottom part as receipt. Coursework Submission Hours 1000-1630 Weekdays Faculty of Science :For all schools under the faculty of science, the place for you to submit your coursework is the within level A of Blue building (B). There is a particular office, which you must take by going to the area on your right as you enter the main entrance. It has a counter and you are expected to wait while someone comes and scans the piece of barcode on your coursework. In the olden days, you would generally sign 2 parts of a form, as you submit it, it will be stamped and the form will be split with you receiving the bottom part as receipt. Coursework Submission Hours 1000-1630 Weekdays Faculty of Arts and Social Science :For all schools under domain of FASS, the place for you to submit your coursework is the within level A of Orange building (E). There is a particular office, which you must take by going to the area on your left as you enter the main entrance. It has a counter and you are expected to wait while someone comes and scans the piece of barcode on your coursework. In the olden days, you would generally sign 2 parts of a form, as you submit it, it will be stamped and the form will be split with you receiving the bottom part as receipt. Coursework Submission Hours 1000-1630 Weekdays Note: Some lecturers within this school are known to have custom datelines for coursework submission such that coursework might have to be submitted by 2PM etc. Further Note: Be warned! Exceeding the deadline would incur a penalty of 5% deducted from that assignment. Being late for another subsequent day would cost you another 5%, and so on. Exam preparation At UNMC, exam preparation is pretty straightforward, you whip out your notes, or whatever you had copied out in class, divide it into chapters, if it hasn't already been, you then make a summary of all that. Do all the tutorials, ask the lecturer if you don't know. Do past papers. Yes, in this university, past papers are given to you such that you may be able to learn from it, and practise. 'Exam Resources' *Moodle https://moodle.nottingham.ac.uk/login/index.php : Obtain lecture notes, tutorials, feedback, whatever that your lecturer intends to give from here. *Portal http://portal.nottingham.ac.uk/ : Obtain past papers from here, login by selecting the category Malaysia students, login with your uni username and password, select the library tab, search for past papers by typing in the module code or name. Download them all. *Share https://share.nottingham.edu.my/ : Another good place to hunt for stuff. Basically over here you'd be looking for examination feedback, and other stuff. Dissertation Printing There are a number of places that specialize in printing and making hard cover for dissertations. Among them is a particular shop in Kajang which is located near the Kajang KFC. Campus Peculiarities There are a number of strange things you will experience when you come to live and stay on Semenyih for one, you will notice that the campus is quite lifeless and tranquil at most times of the day and this is particularly so during weekends and semester breaks. So, where has everyone gone to you might ask? Well, chances are a number of students are actual daily commuters and do not actually spend much time on campus. They will most probably be heading out to Kuala Lumpur to have fun, so you should too. Food and Beverages At UNMC, you will obviously want to be able to eat something (like, obviously, right?), and like most places you have a choice of cooking yourself or eating out. For Muslims, all on-campus food served are halal-certified by the Malaysian Islamic Authority and for vegetarians, all three main caterers also provide vegetarian food but make sure to notice them if you do not consume egg, dairy products, or seafood depending on your type of vegetarian adherence. If you do not consume a specific type of food (eg: beef, mutton, gluten, etc), make sure to ask around before ordering or choosing your dish. Overall, you will be able to tailor the orders according to your dietary needs/preferences/adherences. UNMC On-Campus Catering Service Providers Within UNMC, you will have a limited set of food options. There are currently 3 main providers. Most of them are only open from something like 9 AM till 9 PM. * Sodexo Corporation (The Main Caterer) * Subway (American Fast Food Chain) * Secret Recipe (Local Fast Food/Cafe with Regional Influence) Generally, food price is on the upper end of the scale, and don't expect to get a large serving of anything. Prices range from RM 3 to RM 25. Sodexo serves main dishes with a variety of cuisines (Malay, Chinese, Indian, Western, Thai, snacks, fruits, beverages). Subway is duh, sandwich. Secret Recipe serves variety of cakes, then local and western cuisine. Sodexo's price range is around RM4-RM15 depending on what you are getting. Subway is standard just like any Subway in Malaysia (RM8-20 per 6-inch sub, with tax) and Secret Recipe is around RM15-RM45 (with tax) again depending on your order. For 24 Hour food service, there is a 7eleven convenience store that is open 24/7, alternatively seek off campus food delivery. How to Buy Food For Subway and Secret Recipe, the way to buy food is pretty straightforward, you go into the shop, look at the menu and prices, make a decision, tell them your order. In the case of Subway, ordering would involve telling them what precise ingredients would you like to have in your sandwich. Now, this may come as a surprise to some of you but on top of what is the listed price, Subway and Secret Recipe will charge you an additional amount for service tax etc. For Sodexo, in order to make payment, you will first need to buy coupons, basically paper money which you can get in denominations of 5s and 10s. They do have smaller denominations such as 1s and halves (50 cents) to give you as change, but typically they will only sell you in 5s or 10s. # You decide what you want to eat, you have a variety of food options # Go to the particular stall, typically most food sold at Sodexo, has been prepared in advance, so you wait in line. # Point out which particular food item you would like to eat, and always ask for more, otherwise your food serving is going to be so much less. (Note that this might cost you more, though) Alternatively, you can ask for RM _ of a certain food, e.g. RM 1 of vegetables, or RM 5 of fried rice. This allows you to control the price you'll be charged. # (Optionally) You can ask out the pricing, cause while it is Sodexo policy to list out prices, recent complacent behaviour can be seen where they fail to put out proper pricing of foods. # The seller will tell you the price and you will pay them in Sodexo coupons, you will be given an exact change. Pro-tip * You can actually alter the Sodexo menu by emailing them so, if you were arriving on campus say Sept 2015. It is hence advisable that you email them, give them a list of ingredients and recipe, and tell them that you did a survey and there is a whole bunch of you who want to eat this particular food. * Starting somewhere around 2015, Sodexo has been doing 'BBQ night' every Sunday whereby you can choose which food item for barbecue and get complimentary drinks, carbs (pasta, rice, etc), fruits/veggies and dippings with minimum purchase of 3 barbecue items. It is unclear whether this will be continued for a long time, it may depend on student responses UNMC Off-Campus Delivery Food List Currently (May 2015) there are a number of caterers providing food delivery service to campus and off-campus areas of TTS. Food delivery is typically free, there are however varying minimum charges for deliveries. * Al Shad (Pakistani, Malaysian, South Indian cuisine or fusion) * Al Reef (Arabic, Western or fusion) * Ali Habi (Pakistani, Malaysian or fusion) * Buddyz (Mexican, Western or fusion) * Domino's Pizza (Self-explanatory) * Idi's (Chinese, Malaysian or fusion) * Jebat Tomyam / Asam Pedas Melaka (Malay, Malaysian or fusion) * DeliCT (Chinese, Malaysian or fusion, non-halal) See UNMC Food Menu. How to order For most of the food delivery service providers typically you have a few options on requesting your food. * Phone Call * SMS * Whatsapp (Most of them) * Online Food request (available only for Dominos) Standard Steps # Decide what you are going to order. You do this by consulting the available food lists. # You pick up the phone and start dialing. # State your order, in the fashion of item followed by quantity # Give them your address # Ask them to repeat your order (This is very important) # You now have to just wait for your food order and this may take a while depending on delivery times. Food Delivery Typically, a man on motorcycle will come and deliver the food to you. Most of the time, these are South Asian men from countries such as Pakistan or Bangladesh (this is relevant for identification purposes and no more). Food delivery from most providers will typically be using polystyrene food containers, for bulky food items, semi plastic-paper wrappings for items such as naan and roti canai, and disposable plastic container for curries, if you order dahl, you will just get a plastic bag, and the whole of it will typically be carried in a plastic bag. And there is not much insulation, to prevent heat loss. Also, there are health concerns with the use of hot foods being rapidly transferred into polystyrene containers. But don't worry, everybody looks fine, don't they? Domino's Pizza is typically delivered by a man on motorcycle with Domino's pizza's delivery. The pizza comes in boxes and will be well insulated in a special pouch placed in a specially designed compartment. So, your pizza will arrive safe and warm. Payment and Collection Before arrival, the delivery guy will typically make a call to you, to inform you of his impending arrival, typically this is before he has even arrived at the predetermined collection area to make-do for you to come downstairs, pause a game/show, get dressed etc. Next obviously, you make your way to meet him and for all transactions, be prepared to pay in cash. Most of the delivery guys are typically carrying sufficient change but there have been times due to circumstances and situations out of anyone's control where they haven't got an exact change. It is up to you as to how you would like to proceed from there. It would be therefore helpful for you to note in advance or in your order that you are only having notes such as RM50 (or worse RM100) so they will need to bring change for you. Notable Fastfood Chains in Semenyih and Kajang There are a few other fastfood chains that do not do delivery but are only accessible by car. Chinese food in Broga There are a number of recommended cheap eateries offering Chinese food, typically non-halal, that do not do delivery but are only accessible by car. Malay food around Semenyih There are also popular, affordable Malay eateries all around Semenyih, both Taman Pelangi Semenyih and the Semenyih Village area for lunch and dinner. Most popular dishes are available, like nasi campur, goreng-goreng, and tomyam. There are pasar malams and street-side stalls available especially at night. This is only mostly accessible by car, or by the Tesco-bound buses (Refer bus schedules for more info). Shown in the table are some of the popular eateries among locals serving Malay dishes, all are halal. Mamak Restaurants All around Semenyih, there are variety of Mamak restaurants in varying price ranges serving typical Mamak foods and offering live broadcast of football matches. Social Life At university, you are generally expected to make friends and build professional connections. Student Association The student association is the home of the student government. Even though, it may at times be led by home students, such as Rajveer Singh. The general make up of support is typically made up of international students, though this is of course subject to change each year. All students both local and international are encouraged to be part and active in SA affairs or politics as they function as the bridge between the university management and student community in UNMC. Professional Societies See List of club and societies. Generally populated by home students. Stereotypically, Chinese. Most internationals that join professional societies, typically disassociate themselves after first year and look to their native cultural societies for social companionship. Special Interest Groups See List of club and societies. Generally populated by a good mix of home and international students. However, certain stereo types may still be noticed. Cultural Societies See List of club and societies. Generally populated by international students. But this is due to there be plenty of different nationalities, hence different cultural societies for each particular nationality. Sports Clubs See List of club and societies. Generally populated by a good mix of home and international students. However, certain stereo types may still be noticed. :Cricket - You will find Sri Lankans, Pakistanis and Indians here. :Rugby - For the well-endowed Malays, and one whitey. :Football - Most ethnicities. :Basketball - mostly Malaysian Chinese. :Squash & Tennis - East African and mostly Malaysian Chinese. :Badminton - mostly Malaysian Chinese. Football Fanclub A good opportunity to meet like-minded football fans is to watch football in TV rooms at the student association building. Most fans tend to appear on game night, and it becomes a good opportunity to become sociable and interact with fellow club supporters. Though, most of the car owning football fans will tend be out at restaurants in Semenyih to watch the game, while others would prefer to venture into Kuala Lumpur. Online communities There a number of UNMC-related online communities that you may choose to participate in: * UNMC Expression (Facebook) :Though is not as popular as it used to be it is a source of amusement and outlet at venting frustration at a particular campus service. Often used by dying-aloners to profess their love for a certain someone. * UNMC Student Media :Every year, a name change ensues. The official student print media. Used to publish hard copies but now reduced to only a token online presence. * University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC) Thread :Popular only during admission seasons but proves to be a good source of information, should you be willing to scour through pages and pages of idle chit-chat. However, this thread is a good place to gain information about UNMC. * University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus (UNMC) Student Association Forum :Forever unpopular, a real ghost town. Love Another important aspect of university life, is to find love and be loved. (Though this is debatable; it's just a personal choice). See Dating Guide. Alcohol, Clubbing, Drugs, Smoking and Prostitution For the few whom find the liberation that comes with free independent living overwhelming being that they were sheltered all their lives behind the protection and guidance of their parents, will find themselves falling into the trap of sampling any few of these vices. Some may start as early as fresher's week, observing it as a need to fit in and being part of the active society within campus. Others will eventually try it over their stay over here. As with everything, you have a choice and it is your decision. See Alcohol, Clubbing, Drugs, Smoking and Prostitution in UNMC. Secret Societies Feminist Community Like any other institution large enough to have diverse opinions, UNMC is home to a feminist society, existing to provide gender equality and nothing much else. No one really knows who is leading this flock but members include most of the SMLC and PHIL staff and students. One could argue that their ideals is merely the putting into practices the study materials they found in their course. Members are typically found commenting on UNMC expressions or editing the student magazine, always pushing for gender equality, fighting oppression and sexual freedom. For some reason unknown to man, the feminist society/club/community is not an actual society of the student association, but merely a gathering of UNMC feminist on the online level. No one knows if group meetings are ever held. Transportation University Shuttle Bus The university provides a number of free bus service, the most important one, the Campus-Kajang shuttle service is probably the one that you should be most familiar with. See Shuttle Bus See Latest UNMC Bus Schedule and Information The shuttle bus operates with two different schedules, one for weekday and the other for weekends and public holidays. See Public Holidays University Shuttle Bus Timetable Besides this, there are dedicated TTS shuttle service and Tesco shuttle bus services, which you could make use of. Emergency Contact Numbers of Campus Bus Service Providers Hafeena & Teras Maju There are currently two private bus companies servicing the campus bus routes. Contact number *Hafeena 012-388-6763 *Teras Maju 012-380-2276 *Campus Security 03-8924-8777 Since these are given as emergency numbers, contact is suggested to be made in the following cases: *when scheduled bus does not turn up *when personal belongings are left on a bus *when requesting drivers to wait for trains How to go to Kuala Lumpur using Public transport # Check schedule decide which bus you want to catch # Go to the bus-stop, nowadays they have pictures and exact coordinates of it, so go figure. # Wait for the bus, generally, you might be at the stop than the bus. # Get on the bus, and ride the bus until the end of the line, seemingly where everyone is getting off. # Cross the road, but be careful, cars don't really care about pedestrians in Malaysia, and make your way to the KTM Kajang railway station # Don't waste your time with the ticket machine, chances are you don't have enough coins or your money is too new to be able to operate it (Update: Machine operation is being depreciated). Wait in line at the ticket office. There are 2 counters, but usually only one is available at all times. # Buy your ticket, Just state your destination, and give the clerk so money, they will return you exact change. # Get your ticket, its a printed piece of receipt and simply walk through the turnstile or open gate, it is not necessary to show the attendant at the station your ticket unless he wants you too. Now, since you are heading to KL you will need to cross the railway tracks and there are two ways of doing this, I would strictly recommend that you use the pedestrian bridge, but if you really have to catch the train, feel free to run across the railway track, just make sure the auxiliary police or station master doesn't catch you when you do it. # Next go to where people are waiting and be prepared to take the train. # Middle coaches are typically reserved for women. # Depending on the train, if its 6 coaches you will have announcements and indicators to tell you the location of the train but if you are in one of those old 3 coaches then take note of the number of stops, or journey time spent in the train to avoid missing your stop. Places to visit in Kuala Lumpur * Mid valley, its like a big shopping mall * KLCC, get off at KL Sentral, and take the Kelana Jaya Line * Mines, you get off at Serdang. You will have to cross the highway, protip: use the pedestrian bridge, unless you want to be roadkill crossing the expressway, next you have the choice of a boat service or walking an unmarked path to the mine shopping center. Trip Planning In a recent update Google now provides street view in Malaysia, so take this to use it in trip planning when you want to visit places in Malaysia. *For travel in Kuala Lumpur, you may use google maps to efficiently give public transportation directions. However, it is best practice to pick up information from the official providers such as: #RapidKL http://www.myrapid.com.my/ #KTM Kommuter http://www.ktmkomuter.com.my/tickets/timetable.php Taxis and private hire vehicles. Taxis in Malaysia are generally bad especially the ones you will find at the KTM station in Kajang. Expect to be charged fixed rates and be taken for a ride. However, not all are bad, and there are actually some who use their meters. Fixed rates to UNMC from Kajang KTM station using budget taxis is about RM 25 (this is their made up price by the way and is illegal), for executive blue taxis its about RM30. If they happen to be good that particular day, they might use their meters and the price would be about RM 15. Fixed rates to and from Semenyih, and Pelangi (Tesco) is RM 8, this too is illegal. The recent introduction of mobile apps, has sorted out a number of these taxi issues, and it is highly recommended that if you have a smart phone, that you try one of these apps: *MyTeksi (GrabCar) *Uber Basic use of it, you register for free, then that you will input your destination into it and it will get your location using means of GPS. Next it will calculate for you an estimated fare. And it would then search out taxi drivers interested in taking you to your destination, should one be found, a match is made, and the driver is given your contact details, he will call you, to confirm the trip, and you will give him details on you can be found, he will also tell you what his cab looks like and the license plate number. Once you have found each other, he will switch on the meter in his cab and take you to your destination, you will just then have to pay the shown fare on the meter and an RM 2 surcharge, for hiring a cab through this means as per Malaysian government regulations. Oh and these apps require an internet connection that means you will need to have a dataplan. Now, the use of Myteksi has its benefits like they are an opt in service for taxi drivers, so chosen myteksi drivers are actually vetted, and this ensures a certain level of professional service. The taxis will eventually pay Myteksi a percentage so you don't have to worry about all that. The return to Semenyih from Kuala Lumpur is a problem in itself, cause Semenyih is generally considered outstation, or long distance, that most taxis would rather not ferry you back. But if they did the meter fare would probably cost around RM 75. Thus it is recommended that you try catch the last train back, but there always are taxis that are willing to send you home, you have just got to be patient. Taxi Contact Details Grocery Shopping In order to get your weekly supplies, you have a number of a options. Instead of going shopping, try Tesco online, where you have delivery sent to your door step. Only pay a token sum of RM 6 - 8 as delivery charge and you get groceries, without leaving your bed. Mobile Phone Service Subscription Essential to you is to get yourself, a mobile number while you are staying in Malaysia. For internationals, typically you would be looking at getting a pre-paid service. Getting a mobile number is pretty straightforward, you will be needing identification such as your passport when you buy and register pre-paid sims, this applies to local students as well. You have an option of selecting mobile service from: * Digi * Celcom * Maxis * YTL Yes Typically there are benefits on being the same network as your friends, but such benefits remains to be seen. Most of the time, if you are a smart phone user, you will find yourself leaning more to data based personal messaging and hence be using things like * whatsapp * viber * wechat or some other mobile based chat service. Personally, I don't know which Telco best suits you, but I think you should always go with one that doesn't kill you with exceeding quota and doesn't have a hidden monthly cost. Cause most of the Malaysian sims, you will be getting here, will have their credit or validty expiring very soon, so you will always be getting people saying that they could'nt reply you due to a lack of phone credit or some other issue. Pro-Tip: You can research the telcos by visiting their websites. Or by asking for help in the lowyat forum. Alternatively, you could just got to a dealer and ask about it. Personal Internet Subscription For those staying off-campus, or those just need a private connection for special needs. You have a choice of getting a wired or wireless internet subscription, to help fuel your internet addiction. Wired Internet Service Providers * Maxis * TM (Telekom Malaysia) - ADSL internet speeds dl speeds of 1mbps 2mbps 4mbps, ul speeds 0.5 mbps Wireless Internet Service Providers * Maxis * Celcom * YTL YES * Digi * P1 The main differences between them is the presence of a quota, wired connection are typically unlimited. BTW, fibre internet is not yet available at Semenyih despite being available in neighbouring Kajang and on-campus. The problem here is you! If you want it, you will have to lobby for it, write letters to your SApresident@nottingham.edu.my and beg him to ask TM or Maxis to fast track the deployment of fibre internet to Semenyih. Now, a tip in saving money would be to band together and get a high speed quota less internet package and split the cost among your friends. Pro-Tip The price you pay for Internet access is always negotiable. Call your Internet Service Provider every so often and tell them you're thinking about switching to someone else. Ask them if they can make it worth your while to stay and they can almost always come up with a deal. Also works for phone service, credit cards and insurance. Remember, it never hurts to ask. Getting Campus internet in TTS 5 The secret to getting connected to the campus wifi network while staying in TTS is through the use of secretly placed wireless extenders. You can get these wireless extenders at places like Lowyat, where they retail for RM 65, and deploy them at places where you can extend the campus wifi signal till it reaches your residence. The other tool to ensure good connection is through the use of directional antenna. This too you may obtain from Lowyat. Visa Office Dealing with the Visa office, well the visa office is one of the most talked about department within the UNMC community and there is a reason for that. Here are some tips on dealing with the visa office, when you meet them, always get the email and personal number of the officer handling your case, and throughout the year never forget to ask him the status of your application or whatever. Remember it's your fault for not getting it on time if you don't do it right (not really, but that's where the blame will go). Also CC it to the SA President for better results. Other methods of on-time delivery, is to email the visa office, informing them of an impending flight departure and that you really need your passport for travel, blah blah blah. Visa Application Process The Visa application process is something like this, as part of your university application you will be submitting documents to the university, upon meeting the criteria that is you are holding an unconditional offer, the university will then forward your documents to Education Malaysia Global Services or EMGS, which will take three weeks for EMGS to process, should there be any fault in your application EMGS will return the application to the university and the university will in turn have to query you, should all come to pass EMGS will forward the documents to Immigration and the immigration will conduct another final check before returning it back to EMGS, where it will be passed back to your university then to you. Read the information from the official website http://www.nottingham.edu.my/International/Offerholders/Visasandimmigration/Pre-arrival.aspx http://www.nottingham.edu.my/International/Offerholders/Visasandimmigration/After-arrival.aspx Link to check your EMGS application http://www.educationmalaysia.gov.my/emgs/application/searchForm/ Relevant Emails Int-Admissions@nottingham.edu.my apply.visa@nottingham.edu.my UNMC Visa Office Phone Number +60387253704 (Call during office house 0900-1700 MST) And if all else fail, feel free to drop an email to the Deputy Education Minister P. Kamalanathan who claims that he might be able to help you: kamalanathanp@gmail.com Also, a friendly word to MOHD YAZID BIN ABD HAMID Chief Executive Officer of Education Malaysia Global Services (EMGS) would not hurt. Email: yazid@mohe.gov.my Tel: +603 2782 5800 Where to shop There are a number of specialised places in Kuala Lumpur where you will be able get certain particular items on the cheap or in good variety. For grocery shopping see here Alternatively, consider online websites such as * Lazada.com.my * Groupon * Lelong.com.my * Lowyat.net Buy and Sell Trade forum * Mudah.com.my Lowyat Plaza For all electronic goods, such as phones, laptops and all their accessories, make Lowyat your first point of call. In terms of which shop to shop from, typically the upper level shops are going to be cheaper than the lower floor or those located conveniently next to the escalators. Recommended shops, *ALLIT HYPERMARKET *VIEWNET *JAYACOM *SRI COMPUTERS You should always make it a point to compare prices between these major shops, before making any purchase. For most of these listed shops, the latest pricelist are available for download online. You may do your comparisons before hand. For haggling purposes, always ask for the best price of a particular item, and this is particularly true for small shops where they sell items at a marked up price and may try con you by giving you a discount, which is still higher priced compared to items available in the bigger stores. Campus Parking One of the main design flaws of Semenyih Campus is its insufficient parking space, considering its lack of beds to house its students. Students tend to have to be commuters that have to travel from wherever they are staying to get into campus. Campus parking is free, and there is usually ample parking space if you arrive before 9 AM. Campus parking is policed by the UNMC security services and they will lock cars that are parking indiscreetly or in wrong areas. Typical fine is something amounting to RM 50. Frequent users of UNMC parking are required to register their vehicles with security services, but there is no charge involved and each student is entitled to one parking sticker. Parking stickers comes in two colours, red and yellow, with red being used by students and yellow by staff. Though staff are entitled to pick either red or yellow parking stickers. Red stickers entitle holders to park in red parking bays while yellow stickers in yellow bays. Yellow bays are typically closer to faculty and teaching buildings while the red ones are located around accommodation areas. Due to insufficient parking, recently some students have popularized parking near the TTS 5 pedestrian bridge area. Over 1600 parking permits each academic year while there are only 800 or so parking spaces available. Naturally this means, that at peak you will definitely be without parking spaces. Provision of parking is as is, again the university hides behind a disclaimer absolving them of any liability while you park here, note this may be so, but they may still be liable for any injury or death which occurs on university property. Car Rental For most of the car less students, a number of support industries have formed where by they provide car rental services to students. Their contact details can be found within email classifieds. Owner of car rental companies tend to be the same owners of the TTS restaurants. Most of these companies are actually running an illegal business and their cars are sometimes in really questionable condition. Additionally, the cars are provided with minimal amounts of fuel, sometimes insufficient to reach the nearest petrol station. You may need to push the remainder distance should the car happen to run out of fuel. Also, sometimes the fuel gauge may not work. Use at your own risk. Car Rental Cost To visit Kuala Lumpur, the cost of fuel would typically cost around RM 10 - RM 20 with RM 1 per toll in each direction supposing you use the Cheras Road. Rental charge for vehicles is approximately RM 10 per hour. Traffic It is advised that you avoid the early morning 0700-0900 MST rush hour traffic heading towards Kuala Lumpur and evening 1600-1930 rush hour traffic returning from Kuala Lumpur. Other than that, there would typically be bottlenecks at traffic lights along Jalan Semenyih. Usage of your UNMC Username Your UNMC username is used to access many resources that you will need. Below are some of the more common uses: *UNMC Email System *Moodle (eLearning portal) *UNMC Portal *Workspace *Library Metalib Online Resrouces *Shibolleth Computer Rooms Computer rooms are 247 and it is possible to camp in them for maximum effect. http://www.nottingham.edu.my/IS/documents/ITSupport/CRdetails.pdf Computer availability greatly decreases during coursework submission season and this usually happens some time around week 10 till week 13. Ensure you print on time to avoid queues during printing. For computer and room availability: http://labinfo.nottingham.edu.my/LabStats/public/public.aspx For printing: http://eweb.nottingham.edu.my/cps/ Learning Spaces Besides the available computer rooms, the university also provides a number of learning spaces spread throughout campus for you to learn, study, chit-chat and socialise. More information may be available throught the official university website. http://www.nottingham.edu.my/IS/LibraryServices/Using/LearningSpaces.aspx Since, the official page covers much of the uses. terms and conditions, policy blah blah, we shall not need to repeat all those. Here's the quick rundown: Learning@The Core Is one of the larger learning spaces which is equipped with computing and printing facilities, there are plenty of disscussion tables and the like and is a good place for group meetings. Learning@Vetro are two small study spaces located in F3 central teaching. Its good enough for most study purpose, but the feeling could get a bit claustrophobic.Closes early due to cases of student vandalism. Sports Complex The sports complex is the place you would do sports. Sports Facilities *Hockey field *Football field *Cricket pitch *Basketball Courts *Tennis Court *25m Swimmming Pool *Multi-purpose indoor court *Squash Court *Table Tennis Room The Gym In short, the gym is not big, and is about 9m x 20m. It is furnished with: *squats rack *smith machine *Two barbells *Dumbells up to 20kg *3x Thread mills *2x bikes *2x rowing machines *other workout machines *2x yoga mats *and a lot of mirrors. There was a renovation which was completed by 2015, and now the gym is separated into 2 parts: one for weights, and another for cardio. Important Links https://share.nottingham.edu.my/ http://library.nottingham.edu.my/ http://rl.nottingham.edu.my/ http://www.mqa.gov.my/mqr/english/eakrKPList.cfm?IDAkrIPTS=197